


Brother by Another Mother

by AnonEhouse



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Brothers, Crack Treated Seriously, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Humor, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 16:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3856882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonEhouse/pseuds/AnonEhouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick Fury tries to sleep under a bridge. But after all the secrets are out, one of them... well, two of them, come back to confront him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brother by Another Mother

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

Nick Fury had a heart of stone. Ask anyone. Ask any of his ex-wives, in particular. He didn't keep souvenirs, pets, or even have family photos in his wallet. He had been too busy keeping first America, and then the world, blissfully, ignorantly, safe from threats they weren't equipped to handle. Well, up until you had giant alien caterpillars crashing into Manhattan, and then giant homegrown helicarriers crashing into D.C. It was kinda hard to pass them off as stray weather balloons.

He'd given up his eye. He'd given up a lot more. He'd lost Phil Coulson, and he'd lost SHIELD, and he was currently living under a bridge. Not that he was complaining. It wasn't a bad bridge. It was close to a not terribly greasy diner, but far enough away from 'decent' neighborhoods that the police didn't make a fuss, so long as there was no overt evidence of occupancy when they cruised by.

He could afford to live wherever the hell he liked, but for the moment this suited him. The underside of the bridge was like a training ground for graffiti artists, easy to reach, unlikely to be hassled. One of the artists had a hero fixation. The Avengers were painted where Fury could see them when he curled up in his bedroll at night, with the light of passing traffic flickering along them, and giving them the illusion of life. Nick folded his hands behind his head and allowed himself to let his mind wander. Man could take a few hours off from saving the world, couldn't he? It was a nice night, and his last reports had said that no particularly nefarious schemes were on the move. He looked at the graffiti and smiled. On the inside.

He was proud of the Avengers. They'd been his babies as much as Phil's. Some of them more than others. He'd tried to get War Machine instead of Iron Man, but the Air Force had dibs.

James Rhodes wasn't a genius, but he was a fine fighting man. Tony Stark would never be a soldier in anyone's army. He was too high strung, too spoiled, too sure he knew best to listen to anyone. He was always like that. Nick hadn't needed Romanov's report. Tony didn't remember him, because Nick had cut his personal ties with Howard when Tony was a toddler.

Well, mostly cut them. Maria had sent him letters via a secure address, and at the SHIELD office Howard used to drop little stories about how smart Tony was, and what great things he was going to do. He had outlined an educational plan before Tony could walk, which Nick thought was overly optimistic, but it wasn't his place to say so.

He'd known James Rhodes' parents, too. Good people. They'd done him a huge favor, the kind that built up a lifetime debt and all they'd take in return was his help getting James into the career he wanted. He really didn't have to do much. The boy was bright. Getting him into M.I.T. wasn't difficult. The hardest part of that was getting him convinced that ROTC was a better way to earn his wings than enlisting the moment he was of age. Nick saw the kid's potential and M.I.T. was the best place to nurture it. All right, Nick had his own agenda, too, that was served by having James go to M.I.T. where he'd almost certainly meet Tony Stark, who had just as fixed an interest in aircraft, although no desire to serve as pilot under anyone's orders. He'd got his pilot's license before he was old enough to drive, thanks to Howard. Nick thought Howard was nuts, but Tony turned out to be much more responsible in the air than on the ground.

He hadn't thought James and Tony would actually become close friends, that was a bonus. His tenuous plan was simply to make sure they knew each other, so when Tony wound up in charge of Stark Industries the military would have someone suitable to serve as a liaison who already had been exposed to Tony and was at least partly immunized against the urge to smack him. Tony had that effect on anyone who liked order.

God knows, if Nick had raised Tony, he would have tanned that boy's bottom at least once a week, and to hell with what damage it might have done his tender psyche. He was sure Howard never laid a hand on the kid. Maybe he should have, instead of sitting back and watching. Kids need to _know_ you give a damn when they screw up. They also need to know you love them even when they're driving you crazy. From what Tony had said that one day, Howard dropped the ball there. Nick couldn't really blame Howard. He'd been afraid of screwing up the way his father had done, so he screwed up in another way. Nick never had the guts to raise a kid, so he didn't have a right to criticize anyone else's parenting. He knew Howard had loved Tony. Pity Tony didn't know it.

Maybe that was the difference between Tony and James. James' parents hadn't any great plans for their boy, beyond making sure he knew right from wrong, and that they were always, always there for him. Howard was so busy making sure he was prepared for Tony's future that he didn't have time for the day-to-day of an actual child. Of course, Tony Stark was a grown-ass man, theoretically, and it was way past time for him to get over his hurt feelings. It wasn't as if he'd been abandoned on a goddamn doorstep.

Nick closed his eye. He should stop thinking about Tony Goddamn Stark. Nick had his own problems, plus everyone else's. Just because he felt guilty he'd hung onto Howard's stuff instead of giving it to the brat decades ago was no reason to dwell on him. He'd been busy, all right? Just pure luck there really had been something in that trunk that helped Tony. Nick had honestly thought all he was doing was giving the kid a boot up the backside so he'd stop the drunken self-pity and at least die like a man. In the end, that's all he wanted for himself, so it ought to be good enough for Howard's kid.

He was almost asleep when he heard it. Heard them. "Damn it." His subconscious had been trying to tell him something. He sat up, but didn't bother reaching for his gun. He did put on his eyepatch. Man had a right to some dignity.

There was a near simultaneous _crunch, thud_ as two heavy objects landed on loose gravel. Then quieter mechanical noises which he recognized as twin faceplates sliding open.

And then, crunch, crunch, crunch, and light invaded his sanctuary. "Sorry to interrupt. Getting some shuteye, eh, Nick?" Yep, there went any chance of sleeping. I defy anyone to ignore Iron Man in a pout, with red armored gauntlets planted on shiny red and gold hips. At least he hadn't come in blasting aggressive rock music.

"Tony, give the man a chance." War Machine came up beside Iron Man, standing side by side, in almost identical pose. The expression on his face was no less hurt, for all that it was better disguised.

"What do you want me to say?" Nick said, getting up and wishing he had his coat on. He liked that coat. It intimidated people.

"Oh, I don't know," Tony said, "How about, for a change, the truth?"

"Why should I bother? You're the genius, you figure it out."

Tony took a step forward, eyes hard and cold for a moment. James put out a hand to stop him. "Sir," James said, "I'm sure you had your reasons. We'd like to hear them, that's all." And for a moment James' voice broke. "I thought I had a father."

"You did!" Fury snapped. "You both did!" Fury pointed at James. "Terrence Rhodes changed your diapers and was there when you said your first word! He was your father, not me." Before Tony could open his mouth with some disparaging remark about Howard, Fury turned on him, to say, "And your old man thought the sun shone out your ass! He was an idiot for not telling you, but by God, he was your dad, and don't you ever doubt it." He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm too old for this shit. Look, there was an accident. You found the released records, you know. Sex pollen. Super fertility sex pollen at that. Howard and his bad boys... so there I was. And there were two female agents, and... there you are."

"Why didn't they end the pregnancies?" Tony asked. "I mean, hell, I can understand why super spies wouldn't want to be tied down with babies, but pregnant spies are a bit awkward too, aren't they?"

"Was it curiosity, sir?" James asked. His voice was cold. "After all, Howard had been associated with the super soldier project."

"There... was a little curiosity involved," Fury admitted. 

"Great," Tony said, "So, we weren't just accidents, we were lab experiments."

"NO!" Fury scowled. "We were curious, but we weren't monsters. The pregnancies were normal, and so were you. We did what we thought would be best for _you_."

"Rhodey is my brother. Why the hell couldn't you at least have given us both to the same parents?" Tony sounded really hurt now.

Fury blinked. "Don't you think that would have been a little awkward?"

"Tones is right," James said. "Man, I had a _brother_ all these years. You cheated us both of that."

"I did what I could," Nick said, although he felt they did have a point. So the boys would have had to fight for acceptance and put up with a lot of hate, so what? Pressure makes diamonds. "Maria couldn't have children and she fell in love with Tony at first sight. Said he reminded her of her uncle, Antonio. She would have taken you both, but the agent who gave birth to James felt he should have a black family."

"Who is she?" James asked. "Or, who was she?"

"I'm a little _curious_ myself," Tony added.

"I can't tell you that. They didn't want you to know, and I'm keeping my promise to them." Nick rubbed at his forehead. "They wanted you to make your own lives, not look back at how you started." He took a deep breath. "I tried to stay away, let you make your own mistakes, but sometimes I did... _nudge_ a little."

"Nudge?" James asked.

"Do you really think the Air Force lets officers spend three months searching for a lost civilian in hostile territory? I couldn't send SHIELD in to Afghanistan, but I could make sure you got the chance to look for your brother." While James was gaping, Nick turned to Tony, "And you, genius, I even _told_ you James was your brother. Remember our conversation over donuts?"

Tony blinked. "Um...what?" He blinked again. "You mean... when you called him 'the little brother'?"

"Yeah, you're ten minutes older." Nick shook his head. "I've got the real birth certificates in a safe. Give them to you later. Now," Fury said, turning away, "I'd like to get back to sleep."

"No," James said. "You think I'm letting my father sleep under a bridge?"

"I'm staying under the radar," Fury said. 

"I've got Maria Hill working in personnel," Tony said. "She can find you a radar free nook where you can happily continue spying, only, you know, have a real bed at night." Tony glanced around for the first time. "I can even get Steve to paint you a nice mural."

"Yeah," James said, "this one's garbage. It doesn't have War Machine."

"Point!" Tony said. "Gather your souvenirs, Pops."

"No," Nick said.

"Dibs on carrying Pops!" James said.

"No," Nick said again.

"War Machine is too lumpy and uncomfortable," Tony responded. "Iron Man's a much better ride."

"Let's let Pops decide." 

Both armors turned towards Nick, two sets of brown puppy dog eyes looking hopefully towards him. He really should have put on his coat. He had no authority. He sighed and began putting his possessions into his bedroll. "Roshambo for it," he said.

"Good idea!" Tony said. 

James said, "Fine, but we're not playing the Lizard, Spock version."

 _What has my life come to?_ Nick thought as he watched Iron Man and War Machine play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this Avengerkink [ prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=31964164#t31964164).
> 
> I know War Machine was rebranded 'Iron Patriot' in Iron Man 3, but that keeps getting confused in my mind with the time in the comics when a *villain* used an Iron Man knockoff and called it 'Iron Patriot'. I can't shake the association. Eh, AU, I do what I want.
> 
> Also, I know at the time Nick first mentioned the Avengers to Tony, Rhodey didn't have the War Machine armor. Remember, this is an AU! 
> 
> In this AU Tony gave Rhodey the War Machine armor much earlier, as an apology for smashing a jet fighter, even though the fighter crashed into HIM.


End file.
